Spring cleanup good way to help city’s downtown

It’s a regular spring tradition for Manitobans — with the melting of the snow and the longer days of sunshine and warm weather, our city streets and walkways always have a rather careworn look when spring rolls around.

There’s garbage on the sidewalks and covering the sewer drains, and the multiple eyesores of broken mattresses and other useless household materials that have been casually tossed aside under trees or in garbage bins where they don’t belong by often thoughtless citizens.

And that’s a shame.

It’s one of the realities of community living that we all have a responsibility to maintain our neighbourhoods for the benefit of everyone. Not only does that kind of social responsibility help boost our community pride, it tells visitors to our city more about us than we could ever put to words.

Later this afternoon, volunteers across the city will descend upon Princess Park here in downtown Brandon to take part in the fifth-annual Downtown Spring Community Cleanup Day. The event, organized by the City of Brandon in partnership with the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation, the Brandon Downtown Biz, and the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network, advertises this event as “an excellent opportunity for the community to come together to help beautify downtown Brandon by removing litter and debris accumulated over the winter months.”

Last year I had a first-hand look at the many volunteers who took part in the cleanup process. While it was definitely a “working” event, most participants looked genuinely happy to contribute to the well-being of the community.

There were many volunteers who went in teams as they talked and laughed, scouring the streets and sidewalks for tin cans and discarded food containers. As garbage bags full of debris were brought back to the park, the atmosphere was jovial.

And there are plenty of people from all walks of life who came down to contribute — not just city staff.

“I would say (we have) more. I’d say quite a bit more, and more peer involvement,” City of Brandon community housing and wellness co-ordinator Shannon Saltarelli told the Sun last year. “Our downtown folks, whether they’re coming because they’ve got a social agency that’s being partnered with, or whether they’re just walking by and they’re coming to help, I’ve definitely seen more involvement from our community in general.

“And then, like lots of people from Brandon — police, Brandon Fire, the City of Brandon parks department, and then of course, local social agencies as well.”

As the saying goes, many hands make light work.

The total weight of litter collected in 2025 was 980 kilograms, with a volunteer turnout of 134 people. That’s an improvement over the previous year, which drew 88 people.

There are many problems that plague the downtown region of our city, including drug use and homelessness. Along with those problems comes a pervading feeling that we can’t seem to counter these issues. It’s not like these are new situations — downtown Brandon has been in decline for decades, after all.

But the spring downtown cleanup provides a way for ordinary citizens to rub shoulders a bit, to get to know each other, and to actually do something tangible about downtown improvement.

And believe it or not, that can be a very powerful motivator for community business leaders who are trying to pool their efforts to change the downtown’s unfortunate reputation.

Yes, there are many other things that need to be done when it comes to downtown safety and cleanliness. But I encourage everyone who has a little free time this afternoon to stop by the park, and help cleanup our community. Participants will be provided with safety vests, gloves, garbage bags, garbage pickers and sharps containers.

The cleanup begins at 1 p.m., and the weather forecast looks fair. Let’s see if we can beat last year’s participation record.

» Matt Goerzen, editor